Tulsa Doctor Pleads Guilty To Producing Child Porn

A Tulsa physician entered a plea in a Springfield, Missouri federal courtroom Tuesday following his child pornography arrest.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Missouri says Dr. Shelby Coleman, 38, a partner of the Tulsa Women’s Health Center pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child.  

He has been in federal custody since his arrest in September 2013.

During Tuesday's hearing, Coleman admitted that he communicated with a 16-year-old minor in Missouri using cell phone texts.  Prosecutors said once the boy’s father discovered the messages, he contacted the Missouri State Highway Patrol who along with the FBI began an investigation.  

10/1/2013 Related Story: Details Emerge After Tulsa Doctor Arrested On Child Porn Complaint

Under federal statutes, Coleman faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years without parole and up to 30 years in federal prison, plus a fine up to $250,000.

A sentencing hearing has not yet been set.